Akola,city, north-central Mahārāshtra Maharashtra state, western India, on the Mūrna Murna River. An important road and rail junction in the Tāpti Tapti River valley, it is a commercial centre trading chiefly in cotton. There are also textile and vegetable-oil industries. In the past it was incorporated in turn into several local Muslim kingdoms. Akola is an important educational centre with several colleges affiliated with the University of NāgpurAmaravati. The chief crops grown in the surrounding area are rice, cotton, wheat, millet, and peanuts (groundnuts). The region’s industries are agriculturally based; cotton ginning, oil processing, and bidi (cigarette) manufacture are important. There are also textile and vegetable oil industries. There is a thermal power station at Paras. Pop. (1991 prelim.2001) city400,327,946520.